This invention relates to a method for reutilizing an electrophoresis gel for fluorescence-labeled DNA, RNA or protein separation.
Heretofore, gel electrophoresis has been used for the separation of DNA, etc, and the detection is made with radioisotope labeled of fluorescence-labeled DNA, etc. [see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Kokai (Laid-open) No. 61-62843]. In this case, once the separation and detection are made, the labeled sample remains in the electrophoresis gel, which cannot be repeatedly used. That is, an electrophorosis gel must be prepared at every occasion of separation and detection.
Recently, a disposable gel in which the gel is supported on a film has been commercially available for radioisotope-labeled samples, whereby the operation to prepare a gel can be saved. However, the disposable gel cannot be used for detection with light, because, when the gel is irradiated with light to observe a fluorescence, a strong fluorescence is emitted from the film member itself and interferes with the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescence-labeled DNA, thereby making the fluorescence from the fluorescence-labeled DNA less observable.
It seems that the DNA or RNA sequencing method or the protein detection method will be shifted from the conventional radioisotope labeling procedure to the fluorescence labeling procedure. However, neither development of a disposable gel suitable for the fluorescence labeling procedure nor regeneration and reutilization of the gel has been proposed yet, and the gel must be prepared at every occasion of separation and detection. This has required a troublesome operation.